8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Saved by grace, apart from works, recreated in Christ Jesus to do good works — that’s what we unpacked in this past week’s sermon. These good works that grow out of grace driven effort yield wonderful fruit, namely: 1) displaying evidence of gospel transformation which confirms our faith, 2) being a winsome, living testimony to the world of the grace and holiness of God, 3) glorifying God as we “walk” in His purpose for our lives.

In the sermon I suggested that the answer to “How do we live graciously, growing in good works?” is primarily found in increasing our Gospel Exposure and increasing our Gospel Fluency. By increasing our Gospel Exposure, I mainly mean “inputting” more gospel into our lives than we do worldly fluff. Input the Gospel through:

Reading, memorizing, and obeying the Word of God

Make worshipping with God’s people a priority and invest while you’re there

Read Christian literature, fiction and non-fiction, apologetics

Find Christian music that fits (and stretches) your tastes

I believe that if we increase our Gospel Exposure, our “output” of the gospel and of good works is bound to be affected.

Here in this article, I wanted to draw attention to a particular application of increasing our Gospel Fluency. Gospel Fluency is how we “output” the gospel to ourselves and to others. This is how we believe the gospel and how we practice the gospel. This is how we share the gospel in word and in deed. Just like learning any new language, developing a gospel fluency takes some time and practice. Thus, don’t get discouraged and think that you aren’t good enough. And at the same time, don’t underestimate the power of the Spirit to make much out of our seemingly meager offerings.

Gospel fluency begins with being able to preach the gospel to yourself in order to apply the truth of the gospel and power of the Spirit to areas that God wants to make holy. The message that you preach to yourself is often easily done through memorizing Scripture (like the verses above.) It can also be as simple as praying something like, “Jesus, thank you for coming down from heaven to die and pay for my sin. I don’t want to make your forgiveness cheap by choosing things that dishonour You. I receive Your forgiveness and step out in faith to act according to YOUR will.” Making a conscious step to internalize the truth of the gospel like this has an amazing transformative effect. What’s more, the very act of preaching to ourselves progresses in us, making us more like Jesus. Here’s how I see that happening.

(This is where we learn to preach the gospel to ourselves in order to combat sin, but a limited understanding of grace finds us ultimately striving for righteousness under our own power. We try to be moral to please God or avoid punishment and find ourselves on a bit of a rollercoaster.)

temptation > preach > grace > win > grace

(This represents how I believe the Apostle Paul to be describing the battle with flesh in Romans 7&8. When we are conflicted and preach, “There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” and we believe that grace over ourselves, we DO find victory over sin. This enriches our experience of grace and leads to good works out of grace driven effort. And as we continue to grow in the Lord and His grace, we see . . .)

temptation > Spirit-affirmed grace > win > grace

(This is where the grace of God and our sensitivity to His Spirit inside of us is so rich, that it shortens the response time of embracing grace to respond to circumstances, particularly sin. The preaching of the gospel to ourselves has reached such a place of fluency, that it is a part of our natural rhythms.)

Practically this looks like when I am confronted with a temptation/sin internally OR with a need/decision/opportunity externally, my sensitivity to the grace shown me has such a short response time that I begin to naturally respond like Jesus would. Gracious, good works flow out of an honest, pure heart. This is not to say that responding with grace is always easy. This is not to say that we don’t mess up, or wrestle with applying the gospel in certain circumstances. But I do believe that this is how God shapes us into being thriving, effective CHRISTians.

As I see this progression at work in various areas of my life, I see that becoming more like Jesus is what makes me a more satisfied human being. It’s what makes me a better parent, shaping my kids into the image of God. And since it is God’s grace that enables and fuels this way to live, that’s why it brings HIM glory and not us! We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, (by grace) to do good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them . . . that is what changes us and is what changes the world!

]]>http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?feed=rss2&p=2270Tested Tips For Seeking Gracehttp://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=223
http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=223#commentsFri, 09 Jan 2015 14:50:09 +0000http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=223Today I was reflecting on David . . . you know, the shepherd, musician, warrior, king of Israel. David, the “man after God’s own heart,” one of the most relatable, influential characters in the Bible. As I continue preparing and working through our current sermon series on Grace In The Everyday, I find myself thinking that David was a guy who really had an operational sense of the grace of God.

Through the “ins” & “outs”, the “ups” & “downs” of David’s life, he seems to generally keep his gaze on God. God provided the strength, the resolve, the comfort in all of David’s circumstances. Whether moments of triumph like winning battles or moments of sorrow like guilt over sin, David runs to God – regularly and completely. And with God, David finds what he needs.

So I asked myself, “What qualities of David’s life may have contributed to such a consistent leaning on the grace of God? And can I (and C!C) emulate that to better tune our lives to God and His grace?”

Here are three practices from David’s life as seen through the Psalms that helped David keep his eyes on God:

David sought God in His temple.

The Lord is in his holy temple (Ps 11:4)

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Ps 27:4)

In addition, there are many Psalms of Ascents which functioned to help focus one’s worship while approaching and entering the temple. I think we can interpret God in His temple as the seat of His Presence and source of His revelation. For us today, this is primarily accomplished through spiritually discerning God’s Word. Saving faith in Christ initiates the Holy Spirit dwelling inside the believer to enable intimate relationship and communication with God! Seek Him where we know He can be found. Spend dedicated, introspective time in the Bible, praying and meditating about what it says and how it might influence your life. Such sacred time will pave the way to experiencing more of God’s grace.

David sought God in nature.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:3)

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. (Ps 19:1-3)

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (Ps 29:9)

I can’t help but be inspired by how consistently nature responds to God by doing what it was created to do. If only I could so naturally respond to God’s promptings. Even in the deepest days of winter (and sometimes especially there), a walk in the woods with my dog awakens affections for Christ that my to-do list somehow renders dormant. Spend some time outside. Get in the woods and look up, letting the Spirit lead you deeper into grace. (He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. Ps 103:10-12)

David sought God by being with God’s people.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. (Ps 16:3)

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! . . . Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Ps 34: 1-3, 11)

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! (Ps 122:1-2)

I love this one. Between work, family, leisure, social networks, etc., it can be easy to give a backseat to initiating spending time with other believers. Let me be clear to say that spending time together on Sunday morning is NOT enough for growing in grace through being with God’s people. For the sake of God’s kingdom, we should make time to have one another over more often. We should attend various functions together. We should share with one another. It may be difficult and/or awkward at first – but most of life’s best things start that way. Take the initiative to meet someone new at church this week. Then go out of your way to contact and/or meet up with someone from church. Talk about a Bible verse that you’ve found encouraging. Share what you find special about grace. Do this and get ready to experience a special blessing as the One Spirit that you share leads you deeper into the joy and grace of the Lord.

This past Sunday we kicked off Advent 2014 by taking a slightly different perspective on the traditional theme of HOPE. We specifically spoke of RISK and how essential it is to having a growing faith, built on Matthew 14:22-33. We noted the significance of faith to abundant life in that faith is described at “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Additionally, “without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is that which grounds us to HOPE; it helps us lay hold of that which we cannot see, like hope in the nature of God and hope for the promises of God. Risk, on the other hand, could be described as the action taken in light of faith/hope. This risk, taken at the prompting of Jesus, grows our faith. A risk-taking faith encounters the power and presence of God in mighty ways.

In the days following the sermon, I’ve had some great questions and conversations come up in regards to risk (from POINTgroup, from emails, and in person!). In light of these, here are some quick thoughts to prod you a few steps further:

If I had to define “risk” in terms of the spiritual truth that we are going after here (which I probably should have done in the sermon!), it would be this. “Risk is taking action, based on a perceived leading of the Holy Spirit, where the desired outcome is ONLY possible through the power of God.” This has three main parts. 1) Risk is action, not just attitude. 2) It’s based on God’s leading and/or His priorities, not simply on us having a “good idea”. 3) The outcome rests in God’s control, not ours, so that He gets the credit and the glory.

One way to evaluate whether you are taking risks, is a) whether you ever feel fear, and b) what you do about it. If you never notice yourself feeling fear, you probably need to ask Jesus why you don’t see Him and how he wants you to “get out of the boat”. Conversely, if you feel lots of fear, but it seems to shackle or control you, then you are probably still not taking healthy risks and finding Jesus faithful in the midst of your fear. Interestingly, in the story from Matthew 14, Jesus doesn’t condemn the disciples for their fear . . . He tells them to “take courage”. A healthy risk-taking faith desires to be with Jesus wherever He is, even when it’s scary. This opens the door for courage. Don’t feel guilty over fear or run from it. Look to Jesus and take courage!

We must self-analyze our risk-taking faith beyond what feels “difficult” or “challenging”. Perceived challenges can arise from too many sources to validate a risk-taking faith. In fact, challenges can arise because of sin, because our faith is being challenged (and we remain unyielding), because we are simply overextending ourselves in directions where the Lord isn’t leading, etc. I believe healthy risk will often be challenging, but in a profoundly hopeful way that is consistent with the promises of Scripture.

One of the absolute best ways to know whether you are employing a healthy risk-taking faith is simple. Are you growing in affection for Jesus? Can you point to ways that you’ve obeyed what He’s asked. I think this is why the “Hall of Faith” chapter in Hebrews is followed up by:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, andsin which clings so closely, andlet us runwith endurance the race that isset before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despisingthe shame, andis seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary orfainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Here are a handful of examples of these sorts of risks from my life where I’ve seen God grow me, my faith, my relationships and ultimately my affection for Him . . . all of which have prompted me to desire to risk more!

Making time to read my Bible, whether I’m busy and/or tired

Go on short-term missions

Learn how to play the guitar (because I sensed God wanting me to do it)

Let someone hold me accountable to practical discipleship principles like time in the Word, Bible memorization, and overcoming sin

Giving tithes and offerings to the local church and other worthy causes

Asking a friend, “What is stopping you from following Jesus?”

Living within my means and saying “no” to certain wants, even if I could technically afford it

I hope this goes a small way in continuing to grow a risk-taking, God-honouring, soul-satisfying faith! Here’s a parting thought from the Apostle Paul:

“But Jesus said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Corinthians 12:9-10)

]]>http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?feed=rss2&p=2190Struck Down Like Milkweedhttp://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=216
http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=216#commentsFri, 28 Nov 2014 14:29:58 +0000http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=216When I was a boy growing up in Georgia, I LOVED playing in the woods. Actually, who am I kidding? I still love playing in the woods. So I guess a better start would be . . . when playing in the Georgia backwoods as a boy, my favourite activity was to pretend that I was some sort of hero on epic adventures, climbing trees, leaping over ditches, hopping across creeks, and vanquishing foes with tree-branch swords. My favourite enemy to cross swords with was a milk-weed. These tall, relatively thick-trunked weeds had a hollow center and could be sliced through completely with a well placed strike and a good “blade.” Truth be told, I was always surprised by how easily the mild-weed would break away — it was a great confidence builder for a young warrior. At times, I would find entire groves and lay waste on my quest for victory and justice.

The image of the would-be strength of milk-weed stalk giving away under a calculated blow often comes to mind when the Lord uses a surprisingly small truth to cut to the heart of me. For all my would-be strength, composure, and expectations for my walk with God, sometimes a quick flick of the Holy Spirit slices me right through, exposing my core, convicting of sin, raising questions, revealing direction. Recently this happened with John 6:12.

The context is the Apostle John’s account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. John records Jesus giving instruction to His disciples after everyone had eaten, and I’m convinced that we are meant to see more importance in Christ’s words than merely preparing leftovers for the next day. I think Jesus is revealing a facet of His compassion for people and the nature of His mission. Here’s the verse:

“When they were filled, He said to His disciples, Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”

Now I don’t want to go overboard in trying to interpret something from this text that isn’t there, but as I read that verse, I thought of Christ’s compassion (Matt. 9:35-38), and the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7). I felt convicted over my tendency to do the “easy” things and not necessarily value making sure “nothing is lost”. The reality is that there are many attitudes, important tasks, missed opportunities, and potential rewards that fall through the cracks of my life and faith, my focus and maturity. But deep down, I don’t want this to be the case. I want to fill in those cracks.

Reading John 6:12 over and over again, because it seemed like God was trying to get my attention, eventually led me to a simple yet profound prayer:

God make me, and make C!C, faithful to go and gather! Let none be lost!

Would you join me in that prayer? Coming out of a major sermon series on sharing our faith AND the focus on the persecuted church, would you ask God to cut down the milk-weed grove of your own plans and burden you for His harvest “so that nothing will be lost”? We are not responsible for saving the entire world, but we are responsible for faithfully presenting the Gospel as we have opportunity. Jesus doesn’t ask for more than we can give; He just asks us to give our best.

Who will you challenge to take a step of faith? Who will go out of your way to encourage? How will you prepare yourself to give an answer for the hope that you have?

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for some part of our series “Who Will Go For Us?: equipping the church to fulfill the call of God”. I was repeatedly encouraged throughout the process both by the content as it challenged my own faith and practice as well as by quality conversations about how you were encouraged/challenged. If you missed any part of the series or want to refocus on any part, you’ll find the whole series at www.celebrationchurch.ca/media/sermons/whowillgoforus . Today, I wanted to briefly offer a bit of a “postscript” in order to accentuate the hope that I have in us each owning the call to “GO: lead to Jesus”.

Allow me to remind those of you who have given your life to Jesus, that God’s Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit, the Living, Effectuating Power of God is in you. The power and creativity that called the world into being, the voice in the mouths of the prophets throughout the ages, the victory that defeated sin and death, the wind and fire that fueled the Apostles, the sustaining force that has marched the worldwide church on through the ages IS AT WORK IN AND THROUGH YOU.

Pause for a moment and re-read that last paragraph. . . . Try reading it once more and then close your eyes and as God to confirm in your heart whether that is true of you.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. . . . If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2Corinthians 5:16-21)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . [nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35,39)

Yes. God is at work in you, through you, and around you, and He’s not going anywhere.

What if we began to desire, explore, and display the kind of power and purpose that God has always worked through His surrendered children?!? Who among our families and friends and acquaintances would God use us to miraculously reach with the gospel? I, for one, would sure love to find out. I deeply desire to see Celebration! Church Ottawa go “all in” to fulfill the call of God, joining the Great Adventure.

What part of that needs some attention and development in your life? Remember that God’s power resides in you to make you awesome at this!

To close, let me encourage you with a report of what happened when the Apostle Paul and his company were faithful to do these things where they were (in Antioch in Pisidia):

And when [the people] heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. (Acts 13:48-49)

Father, may this be so in our day, in our church, in our lives. Amen.

]]>http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?feed=rss2&p=2070Another Word On Thankfulnesshttp://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=203
http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=203#commentsThu, 02 Oct 2014 16:32:07 +0000http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=203Pursuant to last week’s sermon on thanksgiving and thanks-living (here, if you missed it), I’ve noticed in myself an increased sensitivity to thankfulness. As I’ve read the Bible the past couple weeks, I keep stumbling upon verses about aspects of thanksgiving. They have been colouring my reading of Scripture like the vivid changing leaves saturate the local landscape. Here is one such example:

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. . . . He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. (2Corinthians 9:8, 10-12)

Three major impressions from these verses. One: We cannot overestimate or over-esteem the provision and sufficiency of God. Oh, to learn to rely on Him more fully, to trust Him more completely, and to yield to His promptings so that we “abound in every good work”, increasing the “harvest of our righteousness.” He IS able; draw near and join Him.

Two: There is a special enrichment in enabling thanksgiving. The context here is that the Apostle Paul is thanking/exhorting the Corinthian church for the donations that they’ve committed toward His ministry and the ministry in Jerusalem. Paul is pointing out that there is manifold blessing is the giving to effective ministry. When we invest in people and programs who are faithfully ministering on Christ’s behalf, it causes thanksgiving, praises, worship to flow . . . and the Spirit of God in us does a work IN US, “enriching in every way” for our generosity.

Three: Where you choose to invest matters. We live in the most marketed time of history. Everywhere you turn is a chance to buy something you need/want, a place to invest, a cause to back, a “start” to “kick”, a ministry to fund. When we consider an investment of time and talent in addition to treasure, the outlets of spending explode. Into this reality the Bible implicitly gives some quality advice. Invest yourself generously as a reflection of how God gives. Invest to provide for the “needs of the saints,” meaning be purposefully involved with and fund efforts to sustain worship and fellowship of God’s people. Also, invest where there is fruitful faithfulness, where more than merely meeting needs for believers, it is producing thanksgiving to God – even “overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” Choose wisely to invest your time, your talents, and your treasures in churches, ministries, or organizations that meet needs AND increase thanksgiving and worship to God in ways and places where there were previously none.

I hope you’re encouraged. Join me in praying and working to make sure that Celebration! Church Ottawa continues to be a place where these three observations are a functional reality.

]]>http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?feed=rss2&p=2030A Curve-ball in the Roughhttp://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=200
http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=200#commentsFri, 12 Sep 2014 16:01:55 +0000http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=200So I’m doing a pretty good job keeping up with our annual Bible reading plan. But I’m not boasting . . . I’m just leveling with you: I’m in Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a TOUGH section to stick through. Isaiah and Jeremiah are pretty long and intense books, but then to hoof it through 48 more chapters of primarily gloom and doom . . . it’s a difficult part of the yearly readings, for sure.

Sometimes I find myself skimming in order to power through a section in order to just check off another day. Oftentimes while doing this, I’ll sniff a curve-ball under the chin that I never saw coming (forgive the metaphor if you don’t like baseball). One such convicting surprise happened just the other day.

In my life context, I’m gearing up for a sermon and small group series aimed at better equipping us evangelistically. So I get to Ezekiel 33 & 34. Here the Lord calls Ezekiel a “watchman” of Israel who is told to warn the people of coming disaster. If he is faithful to warn and the people do not prepare, then the guilt is on their heads. But if the watchman fails to warn and the people are destroyed, though they may have been deserving of the punishment, the watchman will be help partially responsible.

Similarly in the next chapter, the Lord warns against shepherds who feed themselves, and yet do NOT feed the sheep, strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the straying, or seek out the lost. In light of this, there is a great promise that God will be the shepherd for his people and will seek out and provide for them.

In these two pictures, I couldn’t help but see a profound call to action for believers. Christ has commissioned us to be “watchmen”, to be “shepherds”, and to exhibit our faith through care for the marginalized, the needy, and the not-yet believers. Please join me in praying for our faith family as we take on this focus to be equipped and inspired toward more missional living. Pray that we will receive the call with surrendered hearts, and pray that God will raise up workers for His harvest from among us. I’m excited about the season that is spreading out before us. Will you join me in running toward what God has in store for us?!?

Have you ever tripped? Ever had sunburn? If you answer yes to either of those questions and you love Jesus, does that mean that the above Psalm is untrue? Is the Bible unreliable?

Hopefully you know innately that the answer is NO, that God and the Bible are true and reliable even if we occasionally stumble and get too much sun. But WHY is the answer no? How are we to understand a passage like the above Psalm?

We need to understand that it is a song representing an important truth about the character and protection of God. David is communicating that no matter the circumstances, our God is powerful enough and loving enough to perfectly sustain us to an end that is profoundly good. It’s not to say that there won’t be troubles along the way. The fact that the Psalm begins with God as our “help” points to the fact that there would be some circumstance where “help” is needed. The love and purposeful protection described here is more of a principle to be trusted than a literal promise to be tested. Here’s how theologian Matthew Henry prefaces the Psalm:

. . . wherever we are, at home or abroad, we are exposed to danger more than we are aware of; and this psalm directs and encourages us to repose ourselves and our confidence in God, and by faith to put ourselves under his protection and commit ourselves to his care, which we must do, with an entire resignation and satisfaction, in singing this psalm.

For whatever “dangers” or afflictions you perceive right now, or for whatever may be lurking down the road of life, gather yourself under the unchanging principle of God’s perfect power to protect His beloveds. Put your confidence, your faith in Him, commit yourself to his care wholly.

Consider with whom in your life you could share this psalm.

To whom can you give a testimony that your help comes from the Lord?

]]>http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?feed=rss2&p=1870C!C in the local newspaperhttp://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=183
http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=183#commentsFri, 22 Mar 2013 15:28:03 +0000http://celebrationottawa.com/pastor_blog/?p=183The Old Ottawa East community, which is the neighbourhood surrounding where Celebration! Church Ottawa meets for our worship services, has a local newspaper called the Mainstreeter.

Here’s the inclusion from C!C in the upcoming issue:

In the Neighbourhood, Around the World

“We are a small group, but we’re not afraid to dream big.” This comment from a leader at Celebration! Church Ottawa (C!C) when reflecting on plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond. The start up church, whose original group consistent of almost entirely university students, has made a big splash in the Old Ottawa East neighbourhood as well as in other parts of our city as they’ve grown. And with one of their core values being to “meaningfully connect with both campus and community”, they see that widespread impact continuing.

Some of these efforts are: the C!Station children’s booth at the Main Farmers’ Market, help with local events like the Main Event and neighbourhood BBQs, Easter Lily sale for FREEDOM, kids activities in Brantwood during the Summer, and of course, their weekly worship gathering (10:30am inside Saint Paul Univ.). While other local initiatives are still being planned, one interesting area of involvement that is blossoming is anything but “local.”

C!C has begun exploring a partnership with a small people group in the mountains of Honduras called the Tolupan. In working together with locals and other invested organizations, C!C hopes to bring food, education, better health care, and better farming practices to a very poor, isolated, and often maligned group of people. Pastor Jason Byers, who spent a week with the Tolupan in February, explains, “The reality seems to be that no one is looking to help these people. In many ways, they are either forgotten or ignored. So we want to do what we can to increase their quality of life in a way that honours their native culture. This involves a lot of listening, and in time, helping. The help would take many forms: food, supplies, tips on their coffee production, dental services, English lessons, and more. We are also open with them about the role that Christianity plays in our quality of life on earth and in our hope of life after death. Many people are curious about the Christian worldview, and so we are sensitive to communicating this truth, so important to us, in a way that could enable an indigenous church. The bottom line is that we are trying to help meet legitimate needs without creating a sense of dependency.”

When asked why a small church from Canada would go to such great lengths in Honduras, Pastor Jason replied, “It really stems from who we are at our core. Being loved by God and having a love for Jesus motivates us to serve other people. The Bible points to that having an expression locally as well as abroad. When we came across the Tolupan of Honduras, they sort of captured our hearts . . . much like the neighbourhood around our church has.” Then he smiled and added, “And who knows, we have a big dream of one day having our own coffee shop that serves as a kind of home-base for our ministries. Maybe we will serve Tolupan coffee.”

Maybe they will. But for sure, they’ll continue dreaming big while offering a helping hand in the neighbourhood and around the world.

This idea of gratitude to God and Jesus for the work of life and salvation is important. The Apostle Paul regularly instructs us to “be thankful”, to “overflow with thankfulness”, and “give thanks in all circumstances”. In our culture today, gratitude and thankfulness usually find themselves directed toward temporal things. We are thankful for our homes, jobs, cars . . . grateful for food and clothing and even for our “toys.”

One biblical scholar, though notices a different trend in Scripture:

A perusal of the Word provides a full list of large reasons to be grateful.

God is thanked for his deliverance (Ps 35:18), for loving us and being faithful (Ps 52:9; 107:8), for hearing our cry (Ps 118:21), for safe arrival after a long, arduous journey (Acts 28:15), for other believers and for the testimony of their faith (Rom 1:8), for the gift of salvation that enables one not to sin (Rom 6:17), for delivering us from our tendency to sin (Rom 7:25), for the spiritual gift of being able to address God (1 Cor 14:18), for resurrection hope (1Cor 15:57), for testimony, deliverance and victory in the midst of persecution (2 Cor 2:14), for the support of a colleague in ministry (2 Cor 8:16), for other believers (Phil 1:3; Col 1:3; 2 Tim 1:3; Philemon 4), for those who respond to God’s Word (1Thess 2:13), for being able to serve others for God (1 Tim 1:12), and for his attributes (Rev 4:9). Those are just some of the options for thanksgiving.

Notice that this list includes not one item having to do with things, with possessions. The occasions for gratitude all have to do with relationships or circumstances in relationship to others. (Bock)

I am convinced that if we consistently expressed the kind of gratitude described above, then the joy, peace and dependence on God that would flow out of our lives would certainly translate into effective mission. People would see the God-radical nature of our Christ-exalting lives, and they would be drawn to Him.